SPECULUM CULMERIANUM WHEREâ—N All persecuting and malitious PRIESTS May behold the blindnesse of their Zeale the shame of their Hypocricy and the just reward of their unsatisfied malice BEING An Answer to a scandalous book called a Parish Looking-glasse for persecutors of Ministers pretended to be writ by Richard Culmer the younger in defence of his father Richard Culmer Minister of Minster in the County of Kent in the Isle of â—hanet near Canterburie By Stephen Blaxland Isa 57. v. 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt Isa 10 12.13 Wherefore thus saith the Lord the holy one of Israel because ye despise this word and trust in oppression and perversnesse and stay thereon Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out of a high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly in an instant Anno 1657. To all the well affected Gentlemen in KENT Gentlemen HAving been instigated and indeed importuned by Mr. Culmers unsufferable abuses and most scandalous falseties I have undertaken this short answer which I hope will not be found larded with untruths but to relish of aproved verity I protest I write no thing out of malice but shall refer my self unto your candid judgements and rest A servant to you all and a lover of my Countrey Stephen Blaxlanâ— To the Reader READER BEfore I make any progresse into my intended discourse I will declare unto the world the reason of my undertakings which in short is as followes First in respect of the wrong and unsufferable injury done to my deceased father by the false approbrious aspertions of Mr. Richard Culmer the elder Minister of Minster in the Isle of Thanet the known Author of that impertinent and shamefull book entituled A Parish Looking glasse pretended to be writ by his son in defence of his as he pretends persecuted Father but time shall shew Mr. Culmers falsity to the world whilst truth the virginity of the soul shall in despight of malice like the rod of Moses devour the rods of the Egyptians Secondly In respect of my own reputation which Mr. Culmer hath most injuriously endeavoured to demolish by several untruthes which I shall declare to the world without the least prejudice to truth and I question not but to shake off his serpentine invectives as St. Paul did his viper without the least detriment to my own conscience And now I shall desire the ingenious Reader after he has seriously perpended and weighed each perticular in the ballance of reason to be an equal judge for I must confesse I have undertaken to encounter a Goliah a man armed with litterature or at least ought to be whose proud insults can neither terrifie nor conquer a true Israelite The sling of Justice is better than the sword of envy Thus armed with resolution I will enter the lists notwithstanding I sufficiently know that to strive with my superiour is furious with my equal doubtfull with my inferiour sordid and base with any full of unquietnesse for indeed as one very well sayes It is a shame to resist where it is no honour to overcome It was the saying of a wise man that a man knows himself best by his enemies which I have found to be an approved truth for I have benefitted more by the serious consideration of Mr. Culmers malice than ever I did by his doctrine I will onely say of him as it was said of Nero Caesar he was Maximus tyrannorum but minimus Doctorum invert that which was said of Julius Caesar he believed as a Pagan but workt as a Christian so Mr. Culmer may be said to believe as a Christian but to act as a Pagan I am sorry that his own merits inforce me to these expressions It was a custome amongst the Heathens to chuse their priests out of their Philosophers and their Kings out of their Priests had Master Culmer lived in those dayes he must have approved himself a better proficient in learning than he did in making those verses of Queen Anne which he so much boasts of in his Book of nick-names where he makes an Eâ—dipthong short Culmerianâ authoritate and not poeticâ licentiâ neither would I have my Reader mistake me and think that I am an enemy to Ministery for I protest I honour them with as much fidelity as the Israelites did Aaron the first of Priests and love them with as much integrity as Jonathan did David the best of Kings Prophets and Priests but when a priest shall degenerate into a Rabshecai a scoffer a railer and instead of pittying those that he pretends to be criminalls nick name and revile them then we may like Lot turn our backs upon Sodome I never read that St. Paul St. Peter or the rest of the Apostles ever did so but constantly exhorted one another to meeknesse patience and charity which three virtues cover the heart of man as Solomon did the Temple with gold but when these three graces are deficient it is an undoubted truth that the Divine cannot be Orthodoxal Moreover all things in a Divine ought to preach his habit his dyet nay his whole life he must not like Ishmael have his hands against every man and every mans hands against him but like Joseph forgive his brethren and instead of punishing them for their cruelty towards him send them home to their father laden with provision for their necessities again a Divines words ought to be Maxims and his actions examples and his examples rules and his perfections ought to consist in the acknowledging his imperfections for wisdom lives at the signe of humility but as for Mr. Culmer he may truely say to all these fore-mentioned virtues as S. Peter said when he denied our Saviour I know not the man neither understand I what thou sayest notwithstanding I do really believe Mr. Culmer is no enemy to learning neither do I believe that learning is much a friend to him but it may be replied what then the Apostles were ilitterate 'T is truth but during the time of their ignorance they converted none but when they had the gift of tongues and were acquainted with learning they converted thousands It is said by a good Authour that Josias was but eight years old when he walk'd religiously before God therefore Religion consists not in learning but in grace is it not possible for him to whom nothing is impossible to make Josia's a Scholler at eight years old moreover it is said that the learned alwayes put the cause before the effect knowledge was the cause of Josia's his Religion and his Religion was the effect of that cause for he could not be zelous for God without being taught to know there was a God for zeal as one saith without learning is stark blinde and learning without discretion is pur-blind like Sampson without his eyes apt to do little good but able to do a great deal of mischief but I stay too long in
the Porch I will therefore conclude with the Poet Si quid novisti rectius istis Candidus imperti si non his utere mecum SPECULUM CULMERIANUM Qui male fecit semper aliquid praetendit FIrst I must begin with your large commendations for in your Epistle Dedicatory to the Right honourable and I may truely say most worthy Collonel Gibbon Governour of the Isle of Ierfy you begin very pathetically thus Right Honourable Culmer YOur Native Countrey the County of Kent hath many obligations of much due respects unto you for your valiant actions formerly and at present for the welfare and safety thereof c. Answer This is an undeniable truth and I must confesse a person of his Honour deserves I speak it without a hyperboly to his worth a larger and better encomium than I am able to expresse yet I am sorry that this Lamb should live so near a Lion this truth border upon an untruth being not many lines asunder which is Culmer And your undeserved favour c. hath encouraged c. to crave your patronage of this Apology which the Law of filial love and duty hath compelled me to write in defence of my aged Father whose Ministerial imployment will not give him leave to do it with his own Pen I do unfeignedly professe it is rather a grief then any delight to me that upon this occasion I am necessetated to publish that any such Savages as are here discribed should be found in Kent c. Answer Here we may finde a strange Metamorphosis the Father transformed into the Son and the Son into the Father the Son must further the Fathers works and the Father must cherrish the Son in owning an untruth and the more to excuse the businesse and to be thought studious you say that your Ministerial imployments will not give you leave to do it with your own Pen when I am very confident that you take not so much pains in your Ministerial imployment but that you may take time enough to write a great deal more to as little purpose as you have done this which neither savours of learning conscience nor modesty as shall hereafter be exprest Suppose it be your Sons as it is well known it is not he has used you as you do your Text for at first he calls you Father and afterwards never mentions you but by the name of Mr. Culmer As for your book I look upon it as a very rediculous thing wherein you seek more your own private interest by calumniaing of others than the discharging of a good conscience by gently admonishing them I will passe over the first and second pages and onely look upon them as a preludium to your own praises and vain ostentations Culmer pag. 3ly 12ly But I shall onely instance in the persecutors of Master Rich. Culmer heretofore of Magdalen Colledge in Cambridge Master of Arts now Minister of Minster in the Isle of Thanet in the County of Kent whose persecutors are now very few living in that Parish but mighty and numerous elsewhere especially those of the Popish prelatical and Cavalier party that never saw him because of his activenesse against their cause Answer First for your Persecutors I know none of them neither can I experimentally say that ever I knew you persecuted but I believe when you name persecutors you mean prosecutors for indeed I know some that prosecuted you for your unjust actions but I know none that persecute you as you pretend for your activenesse in the service of the State or that you were ever indemnefied more then what the State has doubly nay trebly requited therefore this your persecuting expressions are onely to bring your former actions into remembrance and advance your own merits by a popular applause St. Paul was persecuted for the truth but you are onely prosecuted for the contrary he fought with beasts at Ephesus but you make your Parish Ephesus and your Parishioners beasts You likewise say that you have very few persecutors now living in the Parish of Minster truely I am of your opinion and yet I believe you have as many there now as ever because in your book of Nick-names you use so many inveterate and violent expressions against them so that how can you expect a Parochial affection when you come so much short of your Ministerial profession can the sheep feed when they are frightned by the shepheard As for your being of Magdelin Colledge in Cambridge I cannot deny it but as for your being Mr. of Arts I must be silent I confesse I never heard nor saw your Latin Sermon which you preached at St. Maries which I wonder you had not boasted of if there were any such thing as well as of a few School-boyes verses page the 7h. at the latter end And at the latter end of the 6th page you say they published Libells that you were famous in the Universitie for foot-ball playing but never thought to be cut out for a Mercurie Indeed that is an undeniable truth for ex omni ligno non fit Mercurius But in the latter end of the same page you say you gave a specimen to the contrarie in many publick Arts naming onely that in Print in the book called Lachrymae Canterbrigiencis which litter of verses are as followes Upon Queen Ann. Cynthia lucifluo conjungitur aurea Phaebo Phoebaeo in terris conjux fuit Anna Jacobo Ecclepsin patitnr Phaebe sic deficit Anna Phaebus in orbe micat sic splendit in urbe Jacobus Luna praeest undis lachrymas tulit Anna Brittannis Sol radiis undas siccat splendore Jacobus Rich. Culmer Col. Mag. Now let the Reader judge wherein consists the excellencie of those verses except it be in luna praeest undis wherein an ae is made short Culmeriana authoritate If this be all the learning you can boast of then every School-boy may pretend to be a Divine but it may be you did it purposely to be known to be a poor Scholler Now we come to your testimonials page the 8th where being afraid you should want matter for your vain-glorie you request a Certificate from the Major Alder-men and the inhabitants of Canterbury which may be seen in the two last lines of the 7th page Civit. Cant. ff We the Major Alder-men and other inhabitants thereof at the request of Rich. Culmer Clark do testifie that he is a man of an exemplarie life c. and an able Teacher of Gods word c. August the 10th Ann. Dom. 1642. This Certificate is signed by above threescore persons but what is this material to your present affaires it being above 12. years since you begg'd it since which time we have had those happy revolutions that have quite altered the face of things from what they were then neither do I believe that you are now of the same opinion you were of then yet these present testimonials must be produced more out of vain-glorie to show what you have been then out of policy to
it is very well known that the Parish abounds with many inhabitants now the more their misery in respect of so troublesome a Minister that were not then nor had any cognizance of the difference between you and your Parishioners For my own part I was no inhabitant at the same time when you and the Ryotors fell out but the greatest cause that the Parishioners had to put him in Clark was charity which is indeed a stranger to you in respect he was aged and lame and not in a capacity of relieving himself and not be a charge and trouble to the Parish Culmer pag. 34. l. 40. Who is a prophane scoffer at the Communicants calling them Master Culmers Disciples Answer In respect that I know you mean me I shall in short answer for my self and let the World know what an undeserving scandal you have cast upon me I thank God I have been and am though not by you better principled in my Religion thn to be a Prophane so offer as you term me at holy Ordinances neither did I as you falsly suggest in dirision call them your Disciples for indeed I rather will pitie than laugh at them knowing what a bad and Hypocritical Master they have As for the Chancel windowes you make mention of I confesse I did not repaire them till I was absolutely informed whether I had right to a Pew which I built in the Chancel which your Son learning humility of his Father broke down saying that he was placed there by order but when I knew that the right lay in me you very well know I mended them according to the time limitted by the Justice Culmer pag. 35. l. 21. But they need not seek revenge further than their own avenging themselves by their calumnies and false accusations and railings against Mr. Culmer Answer I never knew any that sought revenge against you except you account it revenge for people to seek for right in their own cause neither did any calumniate you except you look upon truth as a calumny because your civil or to speak truth your uncivil deportments and misdemeanours deserved to be taken notice of and whereas you declare that we combine to put you to charges in the Law you are very much mistaken for you know that your Tithes were never denied you for you sued me and the rest before we denied payment have put us to unjust charges as the successe of your sute will manifest Culmer page the 35. l. 25. But it seems nothing will satisfie their malice and rage but his purses bleeding to death by taking away his means of lively-hood and subsistance by his ejection or removeal from his place and station Answer If we endeavour your removeal it is because you endeavour our disquiet and instead of making peace amongst us you endeavour to bring us into confusion Neither is your Ministerial imployment all your lively-hood for we very well know that you have except you have spent it in Law 120 pounds per annum besides your Land in Ireland but because you will make your condition to be the more commiserated you begger it by an untruth and say we go about to take away your lively-hood and subsistance but I will not trouble my self with any more of your impertinences onely give a glance upon the 37th page Culmer pag. 37. l. 2. It is a sure signe commonly that a Minister is good when all the Parish is against him and commonly when a whole Parish loves a Minister and speaks well of him he is stark naught Answer This indeed is a prime sentence and very worth the taking notice of for here you say that you must upon necessity be very good because your Parishioners hate you as indeed the most part doe And other Reverend Divines not farre from you because they are generally beloved of their Parishioners are stark naught I hope some of them will give you no thanks for this expression but indeed this is something like your Flectere si nequeo superos acharonta movebo Moreover by this you condemne all the Apostles who found love and respect from Christians wheresoever they came but you no where Then again you condemne the Fathers for I never read but that Augustin was very well beloved and his death very much lamented by his Parishioners at Hipo where he was Minister And Chrisistome at Constantinople and Barnard Jerome and the rest at their respective Parishes how happy are you nay and are like to continue so that all your Parish hate you neither dare we believe that you will give us cause to do otherwise for if we should we should make our selves guilty of your being stark naught so that now we may say and you may be proud of it if you please Good Master Culmer Thus having answered to all or most part of your most material vilifications give me leave to desire you to look upon a place of Scripture which I believe you either never saw or very little minded It is the third of Timothy beginning at the second verse where we shall be informed what a true Minister ought to be and if you can approve your self to be so then let me and others be condemned for our disrespects Verse the second a Bishop or Minister must be blamelesse the Husband of one Wife vigilant sober of good behaviour given to Hospitality apt to Teach Verse the third not given to Wine no striker not greedy of filthy lucre but patient not a brawser not coveteous One that ruleth well his own house having his Children in subjection with all gravity Verse the sixth not a Novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devil Verse the seventh moreover he must have a good report of them that are without least he fall into reproach and the snare of the Devil Verse eight he must be grave not double tongued Now Master Culmer if you can prove your self to be any of all these except it be the Husband of one Wife then go on and hold the mysterie of faith in a pure conscience and follow the prescriptions of your Lord and Master who says Learn of me for I am meek and indeavour to keep the Unity of the spirit in the bond of peace remember what he said to St. Peter Peter Peter lovest thou me feed my Sheep remember the charge that he gave to his Disciples Preach to all Nations unity peace and concord doe you the same to your Parishioners and if it be your Parishioners weaknesse to offend let it be your goodnesse to forgive so shall you be sure to purchase a good report here and a happie enjoyment hereafter But before I conclude let me intreat you not to misconstrue what I have writ but prove when you have read a Dove without gall and as I hope you will read without prejudice so I protest I have not writ one Syllable out of malice or envy but with a serene and calm spirit and I hope what I have writ will not procure me the name of a busie-bodie in respect I have not medled with any mans businesse but my own for indeed it is a very great argument that he which shuffles himself into other mens businesse has little to do of his own Moreover as one very well sayes a busie-bodie talkes without credit lives without love dies without teares or pitie onely some may say 't was pitie he died no sooner And as I have writ nothing to boast of so I hope I have writ nothing to blush at except it be the reiteration of your Invectives which indeed will prove foul spots in your reputation except you wipe them off by a discreet acknowledgement for a crime timely acknowledged is half expiated and I hope you will not so much abuse your discretion as to justifie that which the World condemnes give me leave to furnish you with that advice which I never had from you which is speak evil of no man do good to all let not the Serpent of your envy devour the innocent Dove of your charitie let your life teach us to die and if the World revile you without a cause remember our Saviour or if you have denied our Saviour either by the omission of those things which are necessarie for salvation or by the Commission of those things that are inducements to destruction do as Peter did goe out and weep bitterly so shall your bitter teares be sweetned with a plentifull remission and our Saviour as Noah did his Dove will take you into the Arke of his mercie Sir Let me intreat you not to doe to me as the Jewes did to our Saviour laugh me to scorne for what I have spoken say not nay think not that I have writ any thing out of vain glorie or to argue my self discreet above my Neighbours but rather believe that I have told you these things out of the humilliâ—ie of my spirit desiring you to observe what I have writ or to write me better things for my observation It is reported that the Lion the King of beasts is directed to his Prey by a Jacka which is a very small beast yet so great for the Lions benefit that his lively-hood depends upon him Sir I speak this because knowing my self inferiour to you I have presumed to hunt out these observations and lay them before you for though the Lion has the better judgement to chuse his Prey and the better stomack to digest it yet the Jacka has the better sent Neither despise me because I am many degrees lower in my judgement then your self but know that though you are like Saul higher by the head and shoulders then the rest yet I will endeavour like short legg'd Zacheus to get up into a Tree but I will see my Saviour Luther sayes that a man lives fourty years before he knowes himself to be a Foole and by that time he seeth his folly he dies I am of Luthers opinion and shall onely add this that though we do know our selves to be fooles at fourty yeares old yet we are ashamed or at least unwilling to confesse it at three-score To conclude all I shall desire Mr. Culmer seriously to consider â—â—d ruminate upon What I have express in my preceding answer and if he conceives I have injur'd him by my objections let him justifie himself by his answer or prove himself guilty by his silence FINIS